The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) yesterday released the new guide prices on school supplies in time for the opening on August 29 of school year 2023-2024 with some items reflecting increases that range from 1 to up to 54 percent.
Ruth Castelo, undersecretary of the DTI in a briefing material attributed the increase to the impact of the global increase in the cost of basic materials on the price of school supplies.
Notebook prices range from P23 to P52, while Grades 1 to 4 pad paper prices vary from P21 to P28. Intermediate pad paper costs from P31 to P48.75.
Prices of writing materials such as pencils and ballpoint pens range from P11 to P17, and from P9.75 to P19, respectively.
Depending on the brand, consumers may purchase a box of crayons with 8 colors for as low as P12 to as high as P34.
A 1.2-color pack costs P32, while the price of a 16-color pack varies from P24 to P69.
Eraser is priced between P4.50 and P20; sharpeners and rulers P18 to P69 and P22 and P27.75, respectively.
A specific brand of ballpen reduced its price by 6 percent or P1.50, from P25.50 to P24.
A brand of crayon is also 25 centavos cheaper for a set of 16 and and a set of 24 to P29.75 and P37.75, respectively.
The price of some brands of pencil and crayons were unchanged.
The Gabay sa Pamimili ng School Supplies assists consumers in their purchase of school items which are classified by the Price Act as prime commodities.
The price guide includes specific brands of notebooks (composition, spiral, and writing), pad paper (Grades 1-4 and intermediate), pencils, ballpoint pens, crayons, erasers, sharpeners, and rulers.
